A group of 60-70 rebels who penetrated into Ingushetia from Georgia in early October remains encircled in the rough terrain between the village of Galashki (Ingushetia) and Chechnya's Bamut. By 8 October, they had apparently dumped all of their weapons - save for five IGLA man portable air defense systems, their rifles and light machine guns. Rumors that rebel leader Ruslan Gelayev is with the group and wounded remain impossible to confirm.
Meanwhile, field commander Doku Umarov's rebel group appeared in Chechnya's Itum-Kale district in late September and is heading for Chechnya's plains via the Shatoi district. The 58th Army thinks that the rebels are moving to execute a series of terrorist acts during the upcoming all-Russian census. - Adam Geibel